Pencil having a. slidable lead



June 16, 1925. 1,541,826

E. KROUTL PENCIL HAVING A SLIDABLE LEAD Filed Sept. 14, I922 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES EMIL Kama or IBUDWEIS, czEcHoswvAKIA.

To all/whom it may concern.

Be it known'that I, EMIL KRoUrL, a citi zen of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, residing at Budweis, Czechoslovakia, have in-. vented :certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Pencils Having Slidable Lead, of which the following is a specification.

Pencils having a slidable lead are already known which comprise two cases adapted to slide within one another, a longitudinally adjustable rack for feeding forwardly the slidable leada locking catch adapted to engageand lock the rack against sliding backwardly. and a feed catch adapted to engage and. teed forwardly the rack and thus also the lead. However these known pencils pos- 'sess the drawback that in case it is desired to returnthe leadiinto the casing or if the rackhasbeen fed forward its entire length the pencil has to be taken to pieces, ejgpthe rack has tobe removed through the forward end of the casing and has to be inserted again into. the. same by way of its rear end.

,According tothe present invention this drawback is removed in thata spring lever is attachedto one of the cases and operated by pressure. for'raisingthe catches and interrupting the engagement between the two catches andthe rack, so that the lead and l rack or incasejthelead is worn off entirely therack alone can be returned into the pencil casing by placing the pencil in'a vertical position or by exerting a pressure on the lead. a

With the above object in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed; it being understood that various modifications may be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claiins- In. the drawing aconstructional example of. the invention is shown.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are longitudinal sections through the pencil whereby its parts are illustratedin three different positions.

Fig. .4 illustrates a View of the-pencil in a plane at right angles to Figs. 1, 2' and 3.

The pencil essentially comprises three parts.An inner front casea to which a locking catch 9 and a spring lever 70 are fixed, a rear case it slidably arranged on'the front case and providedwith the feed-catch ch and a toothed rack a sliding in the case e and whose teeth project into x and are freely Application filed. September 14, 1922. Serial No. 588,110.

PENCIL HAVING A SLIDABLE LEAD.

accessible by means of a longitudinal slot. 7 1n the inner case 6, and are guided by the slot, so that the rack cannot rotate in an axial direction. The free end of the locking catch 7 terminates in two arms g and 9 the end of the arm g being bent inwardly and adapted to engage therack a, while the end of the arm 9 is bent downwardly and adapted to be engaged by the end 71. of a semi-circular disengaging member'n, which is fixed to the springlever la and embraces the lower part of the case 6. The feed-catch 0k is formed in a manner similar to the looking catch g, the inwardly bent arm ch of The arms of both catches are formed by longitudinally slottingthe free ends of theisaid catches, whereby one arm of each catch (shown in full lines in Fig. 1) is bent downwardly at a right angle and forms the actualcatch, whilst the other arm of each catch (the arm ch being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) is so bent, that in its position of rest it will bear against the semi-circular member a of the spring lever 70. Both catches may be lifted by exerting a pressure 35 on the spring lever 70 A lead guide m is screwed or otherwise secured to the end of the casee. Thetwo cases it and a. sliding on each other are connected by a wedge orbolt Zin such a mannor, that they can be moved towards or away from one another only for the length of one tooth of the rack. For this object the inner case is provided with a longitudinal slot or slit 7), whose length corresponds tothe width of the bolt and of one tooth, thus thebolt Z riveted at both sides to the outer case it will have play in this slot to the extent of one tooth only. The lead rests against the end of a bar 5 which is secured to the rack a.

The pencil is actuated in the following manner. a

The case 6 is'g'rasped with one hand and the case h with the other hand, and both cases are pulled apart. Thereby the end of the feed-catch arm ch will slide up the incline of the tooth and engage the next tooth ofthe rack a, as the latter is secured against slidingmovement by the arm 9 of the locking catch {1 (Fig. 1). .However a further withdrawal of the case is prevented in that the bolt 1 secured to the case h has come to PATENT OFFICE.

Y I claim and rest against the end of'the slot 79 in the case 6 and thus will limit the movement even on strongly pulling apart the two cases. In order to actually feed forward the lead, both cases have to be pressed into one another, whereby the feed-catch arm clt w ll push the toothed rack in front of it, while the locking arm 9 will slide up the inclined plane of the tooth and engage the next tooth Fig. 2). However the forward .feed 15 limited to one tooth only by means oi the ,boltZ coming into contact with the lett handsideedge of the slot- 1). This operation (repetition) may be repeated as many times as desired without injury :to the lead until the lead will project out of the guide m for the desired length. If the uncovered part of the lead is worn out by writing the single repetition movement is again repeated, so that the lead will again project out of the guidem for the required length.

In ,order to return the lead, e. pushthe "latter into the pencil-casing, the spring lever arranged in the middle of the case 6 and provided with the semi-circular disengaging member a, is forced upwardly by means of depressing it with the aid of a push-button [c and thereby the ends a and n of the member -91 will engage the'arms and air of the catches g and 07L respectively and lift he .two arms 'out'of engagement with the rack, and the freed toothed rack will auto matically sliderearwardly, e. g. inwardly, when placing the pencil in a vertical position, or thc said rack may be pushed inward 1y for any desired distance by exerting a pressure on the lead. K

Both cases '6 and h are secured in a casing made of metal, Wood-celluloid or the like, whereby the push-button foroperating'the leverlfl and which is secured'to the disengaging member it passes through and out otthe said casing (shown in dotted lines in Fig. The forward feedof the lead is effected bymovingthe two casesagainst one another, while its return movement is accomplished by forcing inwardlythespring lever is by means-of the-,push-button 73 and simply pressing the pencil against the note-book. v The outside of'the pencil may be of any desired shape. v

Having-thus described my invention, what desire to secure'by Letters-Patent is 1. A pencil having a slidable lead comprising -in combination *an 1 inner case provided with a longitudinally extending slot, an outerfcase'encasing the inner case, the twocases being adapted to'slide Within one another, a longitudinally adjustable toothed rack in the: inner case-for feeding forwardly the-slidable lead, the teeth of the said-rack projecting into-and being freely accessibleb'y means; of the longitudinal *slot' in the inner case, "13-2: locking-1 catch on the inlner'case adapted to engage and lock the rack against sliding baclnvardly, a feed catch on the outer case adapted to engage and feed forwardly the rack incase the two cases are moved towards each other'fand a spring lever attached to one of the cases and operated by pressure for raising the catches and inter rupting the engagement between the said catches and the rack.

2. A pencil having a slidable'lead comprising in combination an inner case pro vided with a longitudinally extending slot, an outer case encasing the inner case, the two cases being adapted to slide within one another, a longitudinally adjustable toothed rack in'the inner case for feeding forwardly the slidable lead, the teeth of the said rack projecting into and being freely accessible by means of the longitudinal slot in the inner case, a locking catch on the inner case adapted to engage and lock the rack against sliding backwa-rdly, a feed catch on the outer case adapted to engage and feedforwardly the rack in case the two cases are moved towards each other, and a spring lever provided with a semi-circular member attached to one of the cases and operated by pressure for raising the catches and interrupting the engagement between the said catches and the rack.

3. A pencil having a slidable lead comprising in combination an inner case provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a shorter outer case encasing the rear portion of the said inner case, the two cases being adapted to slide within one another, a longitudinally adjustable toothed rack in the inner case for feeding forwardly the slidable lead, the teeth of the said rack projecting into 'and being freely accessible'by means of the longitudinal slot in the inner case, a locking catch on the inner case adapted to engage and "lock the rack against sliding backwardly, a feed catch on the outer case adapted to engage and feed forwardly the rack in case the two cases are moved towards each other, and a spring lever attached to one of the cases and 0perated by pressure for raising the catches and interrupting the engagement between the said catchesand the rack,

ii. A pencil having a slidable lead comprising in combination an inner case provided witha longitudinally extending slot, an outer case encasing the inner case, the two cases being adapted to slide within one another, a longitudinally adjustable toothed rack in theinner case 'for 'feeding forwardly the slidable lead,'the tee th of the said rack projecting'into andbeing freely accessible by meansof the longitudinal'slot in the inner case, a locking catch on them? ner case adapted to engage anddock the rack against" sliding backwardly, ,a Efeed catch on the' outer case adiptedtoengage and feed forwardly the rack in case the lever attached to one of the cases and 0p two cases are moved towards each other, a 'erated by pressure for raising the catches bolt secured to the outer case and passing and interrupting the engagement between through a slit in the inner case, the said the said catches and the rack.

slit being of a length corresponding to the In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 width of the bolt and of one tooth of the name to this specification.

rack, whereby owing to the movement of EMIL KROUTL. the two cases against one another the for- Witnesses: ward-feed of the lead will be effected for J OHAN MEJTSKY,

the length of one tooth only, and. a spring VADAV C1100. 

